Review: The Lightning Thief

‚The Lightning Thief‚by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson # 1.

Synopsis:After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. Even more stunning: His father is the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea, making Percy one of the most powerful demigods alive. There’s little time to process this news. All too soon, a cryptic prophecy from the Oracle sends Percy on his first quest, a mission to the Underworld to prevent a war among the gods of Olympus. (Quelle: Goodreads.com)

My thoughts about the book:This book was my first audio book and on account of that it can also be possible that my opinion has shifted in some way about this book or was changed. At the beginning I thought that my‚ experiment – the first audio book‘, and that listening to someone who is reading the book, is exciting. Furthermore, it was particularly funny when the speaker tried to sound different in the dialogs with every new character which appeared. Hence, as mentioned above I was enthusiastic at the beginning by this ‘new‘kind of going through a book. But soon this first curiosity faded and it started to annoy me for example that the speaker shifted his voice over and over again in such a childish way. Moreover, because of the listening to the book I felt much less involved in the story and in the plot, than it would have been if I had read it by myself. On top of that comes that I’ve listened to the audio book just seldom, because I am, nevertheless, rather a person who prefers listen to music while going to work or while jogging – and also while this exercises I had to concentrate too hard not to miss anything and get all that happens in the book. As a summary I can say that my first attempt with an audio book hasn’t really succeeded. I’ve expected more and would have hoped for more passion at my part, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the case and now I consider and ask myself whether I should leave audio books be or if I should try at a later time with another series once again. The time will show it, but at the moment I remain with reading the books by myself.

Now to the actual story of Percy Jackson, for which I’ve also had high expectations because of the great resonance around these books and also of the other members of the book forum, where I’m part of. Unfortunately, I was also disappointed concerning the contents of this book. Though there were no serious mistakes which startled me or disturbed me intensely, but parts of the plot or of the characters haven’t worked right for me. From the beginning, I immediately felt that it’ about a children’s book, which would haven’t disturbed me further, because I’m also a big fan of Harry Potter and these were at the beginning of the series also children’s books. But here in Percy Jackson’s case, some things in the storyline and some thoughts of Percy weren’t coherent in my opinion. Percy Jackson is a 12-year-old boy who experiences some unnatural things, until it’s revealed to him that he is a demigod and he’s also accused of being the thief of Zeus’s lightning bolt. The next things which are happening in the story or particularly how Percy reacts on them or also the other characters, are not quite realistic and are shown too heroically, as that it fits to a young lad, even if he’s full courage and pure heart. It was simply too exaggerated and unbelievable and which let me roll my eyes from time to time.

Also I didn’t found one character in the book which was really likeable or which let me worry for them much. For example Grover was for me not an amusing companion which should lighten the mood of the story, but he rather was a little bit annoying and too afraid and Annabeth was also not a very winning over character by her constant better knowledge and self-confidence. The plot, apart from the characters, was okay but hasn’t moved me in the way other books did or it wasn’t so exciting that I couldn’t put it away. Now it’s hard for me to say where the reason for that lies. Although I really try to stay objective, I think that it’s cased partially also because of using the audio book. Parts of the storyline were really interesting and I wanted to hear more, others were sucked from the fingers to pull the plot in the length.

Unhappily, the end was also not so good either and because of that I had to decrease my review points further down. Although I was surprised at the end when I got to know who really was the traitor in the whole story, there were still two or three things in it which I didn’t like very much. The most serious point was the letter to Percy from his mother, where she described how she has got rid of her boyfriend. I don’t know how someone can write such a thing in a children’s book? In a book where it is about heroism and morality, in the end it is virtually shown how the mother of the hero used the head of Medusa on her boyfriend and his buddies to transform them into stone. Not only that she has killed people with that, she has also shown an irreparable weakness. Which good characters would rather kill their enemies or somebody else to get away from, instead of pulling themselves together and show strength and face them, without murdering someone!? Moreover, especially unbelievable was the fact that there was also written that she has sold this‚ ‘stone sculptures’ for a lot of money. At first she murdered somebody and afterwards she also got a great benefit out of their death? Wow, I think it couldn’t be worse or more mean. I am sorry, but I think that I need a longer break now before I’ll pick up the second book in this series and when it’s so far, then I’ll read it by myself and refuse to use an audio book.

German Cover: I don’t think it’s very gorgeous, but I also don’t belong to the preferred target group. A boy at the age will probably like it and find it exciting.

All in all: To be honest the book hasn’t really persuaded me, on account of several factors. But in some day I certainly will give the second book a change to impress me more than this one did.

Rating:2,5 of 5 points

Quotes:

Percy: „If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.“

Man: “How did you die?“ „We er….drowned in a bathtub.“ „All three of you?“ „It was a big bathtub.”

Rick Riordan is an American author from Texas, famous for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. He attended The University of Texas at Austin in 1986, where he double-majored in English and History. He also wrote The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles) and, most recently, The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus). He also wrote the Tres Navarre series for adults and helped to edit Demigods and Monsters, a collection of essays on the topic of his Percy Jackson series. He also wrote book one of the 39 Clues (The Maze of Bones) and co-wrote book eleven (Vespers Rising) published by Scholastic Corporation. (Source: Goodreads.com)